That last weekend in Nashville was supposed to be an ending. I had already made peace with it—the packing tape, the half-filled boxes, the quiet uncertainty of going back home to Chapel Hill to reset. I told myself this chapter was closing, that this crazy city was just a beautiful stop along the way. I certainly wasn’t looking for love. But then there was Connor. What was meant to be a simple date turned into another. And then another. In the span of a single week, in between the “goodbye” dinners and the logistical chaos of moving, something steady and unexpected began to take shape. There was (and still is) an ease to him. A joy and warmth that made me forget I was counting down days. On the very last night I told him I had to lean in to moving back home. That this, whatever it was, had an expiration date. But Connor didn’t see it that way. After moving, the distance could have unraveled everything. Instead, it brought us closer. Hours melted into late-night phone calls. FaceTime became our lifeline. Somewhere between airport arrivals and endless conversations, the “not looking for anything serious” quietly turned into something intentional. When I decided to move to Charlotte, it wasn’t just a change of address—it was a leap of faith. And Connor didn’t hesitate. The company he was working for had an office uptown, which felt like a small, divine detail that fell perfectly into place. So, he packed up his life, loaded it into a U-Haul trailer, and met me there. Not just to visit. To build. Now, in Charlotte, we aren’t just living—we’re planting. Together, we found a house we loved and we slowly filled it with furniture, laughter, shared routines, and the sacred ordinary of building a side-by-side life. We see our family story unfolding in front of us: slow mornings, growing traditions, maybe tiny feet running through the halls one day. All because on a weekend in Nashville that was supposed to be an ending, I met the man who refused to let it be one.

Nothing would be possible without the love and support of our amazing families and friends. We sincerely thank you for being such an important part of our lives and our story. We truly cannot wait to celebrate with all of you! With much love, Rachel and Connor